For most writers, wrath
comes after you're finished your masterpiece, or at least the first
draft. You've poured your heart and soul into your creation, it is a
reflection of you, a part of you. So imagine what it feels like when
you start getting those rejection letters from agents and publishers?
Your first reaction is one of abject disappointment, which is
normal, but soon that can make way for uncontrollable anger, rage,
hatred... wrath!

It's all too similar a
tale when it comes to someone editing your work, especially if it
comes back with more notes and corrections than original words. Then
finally there's the reviewer, it's easy to get angry at them, whether
they be knowledgable bookworms or Internet trolls, when they
criticise your work it can be hard to not get wound up, especially
when their comments feel unfair.

It pays to stay calm
though, for so many reasons. You don't want to burn your bridges
with any agents or publishers, you may still want to work with them
in the future. Remember that all agents and publishers are looking
at your work from a commercial point of view, the recommendations
they make may be geared towards making your novel more mass-market,
have a wider appeal. That isn't necessarily what's best for your
novel, but you have to ask how determined you are to keep that
bizarre character nobody can relate to, or that rhyming couplet
sentence structure nobody else seems to like!

Similarly there's no
point in moaning at your editor, if anything you should be grateful
to have found all these contentious issues before publication. Most
of the time the wrath comes from not having established clear
boundaries and working practices with your editor before sending them
the draft.

When it comes to
negative reviews, there's really two ways to deal with them. If
their comments and criticism is warranted, and deep down you'll know,
use it as an opportunity to improve. If it's just the random
blithering of an idiot, why worry, you know you would ignore that
review when looking for your next book, so it's safe to assume most
others will too. Even if someone says something about you or your
work that is factually and demonstrably incorrect, there's very
little value in an online flame war.

You'll be surprised how
often your fans will fight your corner, if you've written something
that someone likes they will go to incredible lengths to justify
their fandom.

Unfair criticism of
your work is part of being an author, a creator. You put your work
out into the wild and it becomes public property, to be loved or
despised as the world sees fit. If you're truly happy with what you
have written, no rejection letters, overzealous edits or stingy
reviewers should be able to get you down. If you struggle with the
wrath swelling inside you, try killing them with kindness. Thank
them for their honest critique and wish them luck in finding a book
they will enjoy.

“The views expressed in this article do not represent those of mjmeads.com and any inference to books or authors past or present is purely coincidental.”